EBay typos can save you money

EBay typos can save you money
By Craig Crossman, McClatchy
Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune
January 22, 2010
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/yourmoney/sc-ym-0131-ebay-typos-20100125,0,2036204.story


No matter how long you write, you will make typographical errors. The colloquial term is "typo," and anyone who uses a keyboard has more than likely made their fair share. Typos are a way of life, and some can be quite amusing. The ones that are just misspelled can be caught easily by the obligatory spell-checker. But sometimes a typo can itself be spelled correctly, and those are usually the slippery ones that often get by even the most eagle-eyed editor.

I caught one of my worst at the last moment. I was writing a review of a software product that would help summarize documents. I wrote: "If your secretary is too busty to tackle those documents, your computer may hold the answer." It's amazing how one letter "t" in the wrong place can spell disaster.

Take eBay, for example. It doesn't spell check its listings. So unless it's something really offensive or obscene, it remains the way it's posted. And therein lies a secret to finding some really great deals.

If a popular item is put up for auction, everyone is going to bid on it and snatch it up faster than you can spell " iPod." But what happens when a seller puts their "I-Pod" up for sale? Everyone is searching for the keyword "iPod" but anything else, including "eye-pod" (don't laugh, it's happened), will go unnoticed.

Chances are you would be able to buy that iPod for a song. The only problem is actually finding those misspelled items. You may be able to do some kind of general search on a few of the more common typos, but to find the really bad ones, you're going to need some help.

This is where Fat Fingers comes in. Its creator noticed that literally thousands of items were not selling because no one could find them. As he continued to search, he discovered some really great deals on which no one was bidding. The idea to create a Web site that searched for misspelled item names and typos on eBay listings quickly followed, and Fat Fingers was born.

The home page is really simple. Just type in the item for which you are looking and click the Find button. Fat Fingers goes through its constantly growing database of how people typically misspell search words and submits all into eBay. You can further refine your search via its Options. These check boxes let you include the correct spelling, restrict the search to only the Buy It Now auctions and just the auctions that use PayPal.

I typed in "iPod Nano" and found dozens of listings for iPod Nanos that were simply listed as "Pod" and "I POD." I also saw "Ipood Nano" and "I+pod Nino."

None of them would have turned up with a correct spelling search. But there they were. I also tried something with a more conventional spelling, "Emerald ring" turned up a beautiful "Emerlad ring" and a very nice "Emrald ring" with absolutely no bids on them. Looked like a deal to me.

Bottom line is that spelling mistakes can be a money saver for you on eBay. So before you get ready to make that big purchase, you might want to give Fat Fingers (www.fatfingers.com) a try. It's free, and who knows? Someone's typo just might spell success for you.